Smart Training | Good Team Communication | Sound Sculling Technique. What could have been in 2008 is happening now at the London Olympics 2012

In 2008... I coached two men, Peter and Tom Graves, for 6 months. They almost qualified for the Olympics in the men's double scull, they were one second and scrap behind the winning double. Peter and Tom weighed roughly 25-30 pounds less than Elliot Hovey and Wes Piermarini.... The difference in erg scores for 2K 15 seconds or more. How is it possible that Peter and Tom almost won? Simple, smart conditioning, great communication between brothers, and the right sculling technique. Now Peter is in the men's heavyweight 4X at the London Olympics. I am very happy for Peter. The lesson in all of this is that, technique makes boats move fast and technique is the major handicap in US-Sculling. This needs to change. I can help change this, we proved it.
Xeno

Maintaining muscle mass when rowing and getting ready for competition.

[caption id="attachment_46" align="alignleft" width="252"] Xeno Rowing Coach[/caption]
To tell you the truth, I never had a problem maintaining muscle mass... I was always on the other side of the fence, which was a pain also. Even in full training, I had to watch what I was eating, it was always very easy for me to put on some wrong pounds... However I like what was happening on the other side of the fence, those rowers were able to eat whatever they wanted and it drove me nuts. On the other hand, they looked at me and were envious that I was not struggle to keep my lean muscle weight on.

After reading a few books on physiology, I found a pattern of training to maintain muscle mass. Oddly enough, over the years of competition, this type of strength training was never utilized in the competitive rowing circles that I knew. The process is simple. Lift weights at ultra slow speeds. The training effect is felt immediately and the key is not to overdo this type of training. The result is a continuous stimulation of the muscle that keeps rebuilding itself stronger. There is certainly a smart training rhythm to adopt while training full time for rowing competitions. Key is not to undermine the dynamic execution of the stroke at high rates per minute.

Accelerating Weight loss and Improving Rowing Technique

It is Simple. 

You want to lose weight: follow the slow carb eating method (purposefully not using the word "diet") which is described in the 4-Hour-Body book. As suggested in the book, if you are not interested in anything else, simple read the 150 pages about slow carbs. I lost 27 pounds since May 20th of this year, without being hungry. WITHOUT BEING HUNGRY!!!! Also once a week you can eat whatever you want.


You want to improve your rowing technique: Work with me, send in your rowing footage and a day later you receive the most comprehensive analysis of your rowing stroke you have ever gotten. I point out what is good and not so good.  You will be delighted to get a list of clearly explained exercises which easily correct technical deficiencies and improve your stroke.



Find me at www.xenorowingcoach.com

All the best,
Xeno Müller

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Denial... Well, getting with the program is never too late!

Hello Folks,

My strength has always been my motivation to train.  Now, being father of four, and head of a Zoo, fanatic workouts is something in the distant past.  The problem that emerged from all this is that I turned into a beast.  I can literally squish people if I chose to roll over them, "people" being my own children sitting on the couch with me.

I have done diets, some have been more successful than others.  Most seemed to have cost a bit of money.  I also would rebound quite well from the newly acquired low weight.  I fit the profile perfectly, yo-yo-weight-man, I hate it.

About 9 days ago, I spoke to a rower in Canada.  We chatted about fitness business and we both keenly shared that we read the 4 Hour Workweek.  Then, I was told that I should read the 4 Hour Body, which I heard of before, but quite simply was not enough in distress to buy and read.  Ironically, when I spoke to my rowing friend, my distress level reached the boiling point.  My body weight was at an all time high and I medicated my heart burn with baking soda.

Fast forward to today, I am 13 pounds lighter and already feel a lot better.  What changed? I started reading the 4 Hour Body, and implemented the chapter on slow carbs.  No more in my diet was: Milk, white carbs, sugar drinks, rice, bread...., I substituted carbs with lentils and beans, amazing, I never had eaten many legumes, but here they were, being happily consumed by me instead of bread and pasta. 

It is ironic that one is open to change at different times throughout life.  Who knows, had I known of the slow carb diet... a la 4 Hour Body, I would have gone even faster during my competitive years.

Tim Ferris author of the 4 Hour Body

The purpose for this blog entry, is not to shamelessly troll for new business of which I can be guilty of at times.  In the contrary, I would like to simply share great information.  Exercise is great for building capillaries, enjoying endorphins, building stronger muscles and bones, but it is pretty lame for weight loss.  It is true that exercise helps you burn energy of different fat and glycogen, but it is very inefficient and often leads to increased appetite :-0, and in some case a pulled muscle in the back...

If you are like me, give the 4 Hour Body a shot :-)

Xeno

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Rowing Coach says: 90 day rowing camp | no need to travel! CRASH-B

Do you want to row faster? The simple solution is to join the 90 day rowing camp, no need to travel says Rowing Coach Xeno.

NO matter what type of competition you are getting ready for.  You deserve the best coaching available.  Whether you are a rowing coach or an athlete, Xeno Müller can help you.

Rowing Coach Xeno says: 90 day rowing camp and no need to travel, sounds good? 

Whether you are getting ready for fall races, Crash-B, or summer regattas, you want to make sure that your technique is spot on and that you are training right and eating right.  You invest so much time into rowing and you are working hard.  You deserve the best.

It is therefore extremely important that the training information you have is spot on.  The quality of your training will have a crucial impact on your results in competition.   Don't let the opportunity sleep between your fingers.  Get the most advanced information now from a coach who is known for his technical skill and proven success rate as a rowing coach.

You don't have to worry about travel expenses or time spent at airports and airplanes.  Simply record your training and share it with Xeno online.  You will receive a complete commentary on your rowing skills and a training program to follow.  You can discuss your progress as you follow the program.  Use the six digital analysis during the 90 rowing camp.  Results vary BUT you will row faster!

Don't be fooled, hard work lays ahead, but it is smart training, none of that 10 X 500 garbage and do as many intervals as possible till you drop unconscious.  This is a recipe for disaster.

With Xeno you will enjoy seeing you aerobic capacity improve.  Your mitochondria count will go up and your lactate tolerance will go through the roof.  Imagine how awesome it is going to feel when you are in your third 500 meter and instead of dying you actually start pushing harder and looking forward for your final sprint!  Does this sound impossible, worng?

It is POSSIBLE!

©October 2012 Xeno Müller, Costa Mesa, California 92627, phone: 949-400-7630

 

Difference in technique, what brings Olympic gold and what does not.

 From slowest

 

To faster

To fastest. Olympic gold, Olympic record, 6:44.85

The key to very fast rowing, winning Olympic gold, and setting the Olympic record, is to have the blade covered with as much body in the stern as possible.  The top two pictures are boats that are scheduled to participate at the London Olympics.  The last picture is of me days before competing at the Atlanta Olympics and setting the new record. 

I know how to train rowers to set the blade.  I always stay positive, I do not use negative language.

La clave para remar muy rápido, ganar el oro olímpico, y establecer el récord olímpico, es tener la hoja cubierta con el cuerpo tanto en la popa como sea posible. Las dos fotos primeras son barcos que están planificados para competir en los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres. La última imagen es de mí días antes de competir en los Juegos Olímpicos de Atlanta quando estableci el nuevo record.

Sé cómo entrenar los remeros para poner la hoja. Yo siempre mantengo una actitud positiva, no utilizo lenguaje negativo.

Xeno 

www.xenocoach.com to beat everybody else, by using digital commentary of individual's rowing technique.

www.row2go.com to beat boredom on the rowing machine

949-400-7630

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Virtual Rowing Camp with Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Xeno Müller

Is your 2K not good enough?  Are you tired of losing?  Does your boat feel sluggish?  Do you need motivation to train over the summer?  Are you searching for better coaching, and proven successful training program?

Look no further!

Join our virtual training camp for the months of June, July and August.

The camp is open to juniors, collegiate, elite, and master rowers.  All participants receive an individualized program to achieve their personal goal, which may be: improve the 2K on the erg, row better and faster on the water to succeed at different national championships or prepare for the fall head racing season.

Rowers need to posses a digital camera and have access to the internet with a broadband connection (DSL, cable)

All individual information is kept private.

Participants upload their digital footage of their training on a weekly basis, which will be commented using slow motion analysis, and specific drills suggested.

Throughout the camp, I am available for discussion at all times.

Cost is $750 for 3 months.

You can write to me at xenogorow@gmail.com or call me at 949-400-7630

Join one of the fastest growing communities of indoor rowers at www.row2go.com and become the fastest rower at www.xenorowingcoach.com
Xeno Muller won an Olympic Gold in Atlanta and an Olympic Silver in Sydney, and is the current Olympic Record holder in the 2000m Single Scull.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Picking a crew using erg scores is a CRAPSHOOT

Rob and I learned from the great Harry Mahon. We met yesterday at home. We both set the blade at the right time.

Addendum 2012-04-02

There is no doubt that using the ergometer properly gives a huge advantage to rowers' boat moving  effectiveness on the water.  The use of the rowing machine for stroke analysis and private coaching is an invaluable tool.  As a teenager I was taught by Harry Mahon how to apply power without contracting unnecessary muscles.  Using a dynamic rowing machine set up opens the door to great "pushing" and hanging exercises.  Yes, the ergometer can be "enjoyed" by coaches and rowers.... 

I help rowers from all over the world improve their erg score and their on the water rowing capabilities.  It goes without saying that rowing on the water is several levels more complicated than rowing the erg.

Key to fast rowing is the placement of the blade in the water in a timely manner with as much of the upper body extended to the stern and the legs as compressed as possible, (in a nutshell :-)).

There is a "boatload" of coaches who believe that a rower with a relatively strong erg score will be a better boat moving asset than another rower with an inferior erg score.  This assumption is a total crap shoot.  At the catch, when rowing the erg, the flywheel will gain speed as soon as the handle moves away from the cage.  However this particular part of the stroke is so intricate, that on the water, the smallest nuance as to how the blade is set, can make a "great" erg score a total boat stopper. 

Daily, I work on digital recordings that are sent to me through my Dropbox account.  I analyze and comment rowing technique deficiencies and explain which technical exercises to chose and how to feel the right movement.  Blade coverage in relation to body position is the key to rowing fast on the water.  Without mastering the catch, I would have not won Olympic gold and silver, set the Olympic record, and set a world best time of 6:38 in the single scull.

When I receive a two minute digital recording I can easily spend up to 30 minutes coaching the footage.  I enjoy describing the stroke in detail.  Rowers understand what they need to do to improve and the changes they make bring remarkable results.

Addendum 2012-04-02

There is no doubt that using the ergometer properly gives a huge advantage to rowers' boat moving  effectiveness on the water.  The use of the rowing machine for stroke analysis and private coaching is an invaluable tool.  As a teenager I was taught by Harry Mahon how to apply power without contracting unnecessary muscles.  Using a dynamic rowing machine set up opens the door to great "pushing" and hanging exercises.  Yes, the ergometer can be "enjoyed" by coaches and rowers.... 

Xeno
Olympic gold and silver medalist, Olympic record holder.
www.xenorowingcoach.com performance rowing.
www.row2go.com digital indoor-rowing workout library.
www.facebook.com/row2go
www.facebook.com/xenomuller

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Errors that are easily committed by maturing people who seek fitness through rowing.

To me it is crystal clear that the aging clock can be slowed down, way down, with the right training plan.
The greatest errors committed for "aging" people who work out and look for greater fitness are: intensity that is too high, too little torque, too little mileage, unknown target heart rate, technique that does not utilize the major muscle groups which restricts range of motion and can lead to injury.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

MRIs no rowing parent should ever have to see.

Hello Parents,

The right rowing technique is important for great Concept2-2K-scores and success at regattas.  However, there is a disconnect between the ergonomically sound technique and an "anything-goes-rowing-technique-as-long-as-the-rower-pulls-as-hard-as-possible-at-every-practice."

Pressure on spinal cord from a slipped disc.

These two MRIs are taken from the side above the hip joint and depict spinal discs that have slipped out from between two vertebrae. This is a serious injury, which is very painful to rowers and puts a stop to any type of rowing workout.  In addition, sleep patterns are disrupted, and sitting on a chair for longer periods of time becomes torture.  Rehabilitating such a back injury can take a long time.

Lower back problems emerge from tight muscles: hamstrings, gluts, abductors, aductors, IT band, and calf muscles.  I always check rowers' ability to hinge at the hip joint, how they sit up at the finish, how their legs compress at the catch while observing the position of the feet, and the posture of their backs.  The proper rowing technique is easily understood by rowers, coaches, and parents, however, the challenge lays with the fact that juniors are growing individuals, who inherently are victims of the "bone and muscle tug of war."  As parents we often hear that kids grow like weed..., and about "those growing pains."  These observations underline the importance of constantly checking technique and adjusting exercises which are needed to maintain flexibility.

Slipped disc pushes on spinal cord.

There is no doubt, that back injuries can be avoided.  Parents, rowers, and coaches need to understand that bad injuries in rowing from questionable technique can be prevented.  Over the years of Olympic training and coaching, I have never had a back injury.  This is not due to "luck".  The right technical exercises, X-training, and strength training, engage the hip joint in the rowing movement the correct way, leaving the small of the back supported throughout the stroke.

Maximum pressure on lower back which can lead to major back problems.

As private coach, I receive rowing footage from around the world.  I help rowers improve their erg score and on water rowing ability by analyzing their technique and recommending exercises to improve their power application which is directly related to their flexibility.

You can find my services at www.xenorowingcoach.com, you can reach me by emailing me at xenogorow@gmail.com

Zero heel connection at the finish, puts a lot of strain on the shoulders, and leaves the lower back vulnerable to injury. Such technique leaves glut and hamstring muscles underdeveloped.

A lack in technical check ups leads to unwanted movements throughout the rowing stroke.

Join one of the fastest growing communities of indoor rowers at www.row2go.com and become the fastest rower at www.xenorowingcoach.com
Xeno Muller won an Olympic Gold in Atlanta and an Olympic Silver in Sydney, and is the current Olympic Record holder in the 2000m Single Scull. He is also the President of XenoRowingCoach and Row2Go which is quickly becoming THE online community for both indoor and on-the-water rowers providing its members with weekly online workout routines and individualized coaching programs.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

CRASH-B and Row2K showcase technical problems "en masse."

Rower in the foreground has technical problems, whereas second rower shows a better hang.

Technical issues to consider: You may have heard about "the proper way of rowing" however when you see somebody row in front of you, you may find the task of correcting a rowing stroke a bit daunting. As seen on this picture, very often you find people combining pulling with pushing. The arms bend during the leg drive while the back is close to being in its final finish angle. It is also not unusual to spot many toe pushers, or "ball of the foot finishers." These types of athletes are victim to a lack of support in their lower back. Their elbows point straight down to the floor, with wrists at a 90 degree angle to their forearms. The lay back is almost level to the ground with the handle pulled to the upper half of the pectoral muscle. In such instances it is rarely the case that the knees are fully straight, instead they show a slight angle with a quadriceps that is not engaged. Such a finish position leads the rower to return the handle... the lay back, and the knees back to the catch, all at the same time. In this manner, the hip flexor is wrongly used to lift the knees, which completely leaves out the use of the hamstrings. The preparation of the upper body lags behind in comparison to the timing with the rise of the knees, this creates a stop of the knees at the full catch compression and results in a reach of the upper body and elbow extension to get the handle as close to the flywheel as possible. This leads to an early contraction of the arms with a premature opening of the back, putting the leg drive in a secondary position. Here are more pictures I found to illustrate what I am describing above.

If you are one of the rowers in these pictures, feel no shame, because 99% of the rowers who took part at CRASH-B share your technique.  I am confident of my statement, because I know from personal experience the disconnect that exists in coaches' minds between water rowing and erging. 

This picture illustrates well the above described rowing stroke.  Also I am not quite sure what is going on with the right foot.

This is a clear early arm draw, which puts the leg drive on the back burner, the upper body is opening early, while the heel has not yet connected to the foot board.

On the right, the rower is on the recovery, while the left rower is in the drive phase.  The individual symmetry is totally lacking.  Key to noticing who is driving and who is on the recovery is the characteristic of the chain.  Tight on the left, floppy on the right.

This picture I chose not necessarily for the first two rowers.  Most of the pictures taken by row2k are in the drive phase so it is hard to find shots on the recovery.  Have a look at the rower all the way to the right.  He is on the recovery, combining every part of his body to move to the catch.  Such a rower creates a rush in a team boat.  The fellow in the middle has an early opening of back, is breaking the arms at the same time, and the angle of the upper body is already at vertical which leaves nothing to connect in the last quarter of the leg drive.  The young rower at the forefront is gripping the handle in his fist reducing his ability to maximize his effective length at the catch and at the finish. Join one of the fastest growing communities of indoor rowers at www.row2go.com and become the fastest rower at www.xenorowingcoach.com Xeno Muller won an Olympic Gold in Atlanta and an Olympic Silver in Sydney, and is the current Olympic Record holder in the 2000m Single Scull. He is also the President of XenoRowingCoach and Row2Go which is quickly becoming THE online community for both indoor and on-the-water rowers providing its members with weekly online workout routines and individualized coaching programs.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

How I met the bench row, a key component to Olympic gold

First day of rowing January 198

I was 13 and a half when I started rowing in Fontainebleau, France.  As a "cadet" rower, we were asked to join the Friday evening strength training session.  The weight room was part of an athletic complex across the street of a famous business school called, Insead.  This school attracted well accomplished US rowers such as, Alyson Townley, Chris Carlson, C.B. Sands-Bohrer, Anne Marden, and John Marden.  This early US rowing interaction presented me with the opportunity to hold Anne Marden's freshly won Olympic silver medal from the Seoul Olympics in my young hand.  It was amazing how big and heavy the medal was.  As I held it,  I remember looking at it long and hard which gave me the impression that the medal grew larger in my hand.  Then a voice inside of me said: "Xeno, you can achieve this, but it is going to cost you, you will suffer."  I tightened my jaw and knew that I was in it for the long haul.

My dad and I the year before Brown

As a young teenager I was a fan of movies such as Rambo, Rocky, Commando, the Running Man and a few others staring these actors...  I wanted to be as buff as Stallone and Schwarzenegger.  Even my father and grandfather enjoyed telling me that a strong body is important in a young man's life and beyond.  So it was no wonder that I was given a piston rowing machine and a punching bag for Christmas the year before I started rowing on the water at the Club D'Aviron Fontainebleau Avon.  When I first set foot in the gym that Friday evening, all I saw were free weights, a couple Smith cages, and monkey bars...  The elder rowers told us to grab four benches that were stacked along the concrete wall.  I had no clue what we were going to do with them.  Maybe we were going to sit down and talk about what we were going to do.  We were told to place three benches parallel to each other and the fourth bench was set on top.  Then an Olympic bar was placed underneath the top bench and I was told to lay belly down and grab the bar and start pulling.  The date was February 15th, 1985.

Shortly before driving to Sydney from Murwillumbah

The company of the bench row lasted 19 years from that evening on.  I did bench rows in Fontainebleau, Zurich, Sarnen, Providence, Boston, and Newport Beach.  There is no doubt in my mind that this specific exercise brought a huge amount of torque to my sculling and sweep rowing stroke.  I excelled at the French national bench row test, which consisted on how many bench pulls with 40kgs one could do in 6 minutes.  Years later, I laid there in the gym of the Newport Aquatic Center, my stopwatch already running and placed on the ground right below me, my finger tips hooked around the bar. As the stop watch reached one minute, I began pulling at a deafening pace, literally, because at the end of every pull the Olympic bar hit the metal frame creating a loud bang.  I thrived on that ear piercing sound.  I felt rage, I was in my element, my mind was screaming to go faster, harder, I wanted to tear everything apart so that my my opponents would get destroyed, they shall regret having chosen to race the single scull.  The metallic banging reminded me of a sledgehammer.  As I progressed through the six minutes, I increasingly felt my lat muscles pulsate with every draw.  My arms became twice as big.  Sweat dripped off my forehead onto the floor.  I kept counting, I wanted to go farther than 240, which meant an above 40 strokes a minute pace. I kept ramming the bar against the bench.  At one minute to go, I demanded that my body released every ounce of energy for the final sprint to complete the six minutes of hell, or was it heaven...  That day I pulled my absolute best, 248 draws at age 28, a month and a half before the Sydney Olympics.

Join one of the fastest growing communities of indoor rowers at www.row2go.com and become the fastest rower at www.xenorowingcoach.com
Xeno Muller won an Olympic Gold in Atlanta and an Olympic Silver in Sydney, and is the current Olympic Record holder in the 2000m Single Scull. 

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

What, my rest is already over?

I coached a junior today.  We did rowing specific resistance work. Without getting into the detail of the workload, a new blog topic came to me:  Why stress over rest when the pieces are hard enough.

Five days before the Olympics

Once I quit my competitive career and began to coach privately, I started hearing from rowers' hellish stories of interval training with little to no time to rest between pieces.  The first few times I heard of these brutal beatings I exclaimed by saying how sorry I was about being subject to such senseless abuse and that it must be hard.  Then after hearing such tales over and over, I started growing a thicker skin and simply responded, by saying: "This type of training leads to nothing else but physiological plateau, mental burnout, technical stagnation, and injury; your coach should be beaten (figuratively speaking) and drug behind the coaching launch (also figuratively speaking) for the amount of pain he or she puts you through."

Hard pieces are meant to teach the athlete to move the boat as efficiently as possible through the water no matter what level of pain is felt.  Therefore giving a break between pieces that is "too" short sabotages the ability to find maximum efficient speed.  Some coaches will argue that the shorter break brings more stress to the rower or crew and makes finding maximum speed in the boat even harder.  Yes.., but what does the rower or crew get out of it when they are barely conscience of their movements... the experience of living with pain and keeping the body moving.  Well that does not make you win races...

I follow the 100%+ method.  No matter how hard or long the pieces are, the rest time is of same length if not more depending on physical distress.  My goal as athlete was always to execute my pieces with the best possible technique and greatest aggression.  I made sure that I kept full control over the boat and that the blades were set in the water as the hands moved to the stern.  It was crucial for me to feel the draw of my hamstrings as I moved the foot board back to my seat.  Thanks to the appropriate rest between pieces, I was able to deliver a sound accelerating stroke, a single scull gliding on the water like a skate on ice with puddles quickly passing the stern.

Xeno
I coach rowers worldwide on www.xenorowingcoach.com and make it easy for others to use their rowing machine at www.row2go.com.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Some common mistakes when training for endurance competitions.

Hello rowers and endurance athletes.

Congratulations and thank you for illustrating my first point I am about to make on personality of an athlete or coach.  Through your active search, you found me and this article, because you are in search of greater aerobic capacity for either yourself or people you train, which in turn describes you as a motivated individual.

1996 Olympics, Derek Porter, Xeno Muller, Thomas Lange, Olympic record 6:44.85

Do rowers and coaches know when to slow down?

In order to achieve maximum results from training, the mind and body need to be in harmony.  From personal experience as an Olympic gold/silver medalist and coach I have noticed that athletes too often forget to look for the connection between the two.  Such disconnect can be caused from guilt and competitive paranoya of the "what if I don't train..."  Athletes are guilty of this as much as coaches.  Coaches who don't understand the importance of limiting hard workouts and neglecting to observe the rowers demeanor during and outside of the workouts, fall into a situation in which more injuries appear and morale of the crew becomes gloomy.  Slowing down is not in the nature of motivated people it must therefore learned and accepted in order to improve fitness.

Believing that achieving new personal bests is mainly caused when the mind gets stronger... another problem.

I have heard it many times from club and university rowers.  As training "progresses" coaches chose to test their crew members to confirm that their training plan delivers better 2K, 6K, and more boat speed.  Some of these coaches also tend to favor harder workouts instead of aerobic training sessions.  When too few personal bests are recorded the coaches' answer are more high intensity training with team meetings denouncing that the crews are not pushing hard enough and that it is a matter of getting mentally tougher to sustain more pain.  For rowers with less coaching interference a similar situation exists.  All-out-effort-self-testing becomes a form of security blanket.  Unfortunately the blanket is sometimes used in moments of doubt, for example when coming out of sickness such as the flu.  In such cases the test which ought to show improvement ends up informing the rower of how much the illness impacted their fitness.  More often than not, the result of the test is less than satisfactory and leads the rower down a path of self-doubt mixed with impatience that lead to harder workouts, because of the idea lost time from being ill needs to be made up.

 "No pain, no gain, no Spain."  Learn from other endurance disciplines, look outside the box.

This was a headline in Sport Illustrated back in 1992 as the world was preparing for the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.  Rowing is known to be one of the toughest sports and therefore it is easy to imagine that training has to be filled with intensity and pain.  Many rowers and coaches believe that rowing success comes from going through hell on water and land.  This concept of training is so wrong, it makes me cringe.  My coaches' adopted training methods from different disciplines such as cross country skiing, flat water kayak, cycling, and Olympic weight lifting.  Learning from mistakes and successes of other successful.

Training on Lake Sarnen, Switzerland

Improvement in rowing comes through a carefully mixed training program that gives the athlete enough time to recover from hard workouts and plenty of aerobic mileage to increase the mitochondria count in muscle cells throughout the body and not just the core rowing muscles. Cross training is crucial to avoid chronic injuries, mental burnout, yet extremely beneficial for total body fitness at the molecular level.  As rower, listening to ones body, accepting gut feeling, erring on the side of caution is a better way to becoming a champion.  Coaches need to accept that athletes achieve greater performance through mileage and fine tuning, rather then creating a living hell, where mental toughness is the means to an end.

Now go and puke your gut out at CRASH-B and its satellite regattas.
Xeno, Olympic gold and silver medalist, Olympic record holder.  Row2go, XenoRowingCoach, Digital Workouts.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Can you afford not to? $175 Slow motion stroke analysis, greater success with less work.

When I receive rowing footage via Youtube or email (up to 50 seconds with iPhone), I complete a slow motion stroke analysis with commentary. I help rowers pick the right technical drill to improve deficiencies in their rowing stroke. 
The result is improved power application, greater speed, better boat control, and better erg score, without training harder.
How effective can training be, when you don't know what your weaknesses are and how to strengthen them?

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Rowing it off... Normal for rowers new for tennis players.

I am watching hard fought matches on TV and it occurred to me that a bunch of these athletes have little time to recover for their next round; especially the players who play doubles and singles during the same tournament. I know of a gentle way to quicken recovery. But first let's take a quick look at what is commonly done.

Depending on age and fitness level the time needed to regenerate after a hard match can vary quite a bit between individuals.  In order to "help recovery" most players will spend some time standing under a hot shower, which in physiological terms is described as passive recovery.  Very few will take an ice bath which draws the blood to the body's skin thus removing lactic acid out of the muscle tissue. Some will make time for a valuable massage session, which is described as a semi-passive recovery method.  Maybe a few will use a stationary bike to spin off the lactate in their hard worked legs. I have no doubt that a percentage of top players use some of these methods to get a leg up on recovery.  Yet one of the most time efficient, active recovery method, has stayed undiscovered in the tennis world, until now. 

Time to introduce the 20 minute "regenerating-row-off." Why would a tennis player want to use rowing for faster recovery.  For starters, rowing is a full-body-zero-impact-weight-supported motion which is extremely gentle on the joints and thus makes it easy to attain full range of motion with knees, hips, and ankles.  The upper body hinges at the hip joint with loose shoulders while the lower back is supported allowing the hamstrings to gently stretch and contract, while the back is evenly engaged during the entire stroke cycle.  Rowing's gentle and gradual resistance is excellent therapy for sore muscles.  Rowing is an ACTIVE process for regenerating the body.
 

There are other important regenerating benefits that rowing provides such as the deep breathing rhythm used to relax the body on the recovery and how the acceleration starting from the leg drive is applied by suspending the upper body from its the skeleton strength.  Easy rowing is also gentle on the heart due to the parallel position of the track to the ground and thus reducing by half the power needed for the cardiac system to pump the blood through the body.

Rowing is also an excellent cross training exercise.  Workouts vary in intensity and duration.  The sport is known to produce some of the most aerobically fit and mentally tough athletes.  Adding rowing to the weekly workout routine brings variety to training that otherwise is heavily focused on being upright and putting further pressure on joints that are already heavily taxed through tennis workouts and matches.

It would be awesome for me to help tennis players use rowing to improve their recovery and winning record! Consider our 10 Week Beginner package, which is excellent to gently learn to row, perfect for tennis cool downs and cross training.

Xeno
www.row2go.com for online rowing workouts.
www.xenorowingcoach.com for DVDs and private coaching.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Mental preparation for rowing, and where to find great examples for pushing through pain.

Alas, our rowing stories are not as well publicized as other athletes' stories of other sports.  We could claim that our rowing market is smaller and there is not as big of a financial gain to be made or public interest in publishing autobiographies of rowers.  Maybe it is partly because the rowing archetype tends to not brag publicly about personal rowing achievements.  Whatever the reason, we as coaches need to come up with stories that illustrate what it takes to win no matter what.  In my case I can whip out personal stories to tell to the rowers I coach; I have a few, but telling the same story over and over would get old for me as well as to my audience, that is why I enjoy reading about other athletes' feats.

Here are three autobiographies that I highly recommend.  The beauty about the three books is that every epic battle can be found on Youtube by typing in the names of the athletes and the name of the event.  I enjoyed devouring, Andre Agassi's, Pete Sampras', and Rafael Nadal's, autobiographies.  Holy cow, it is amazing, what epic battles these guys endured in order to be victors in their own sports.

Pete Sampra's account of his 5 set match where he vomits and still wins here is the link: http://youtu.be/gIvxjjfCGvA  EPIC to read and EPIC to watch.

Andre Agassi finally winning the French open, an elusive feat for hard court players.  http://youtu.be/gIvxjjfCGvA
Hilarious is also how Andre found Brad Gilbert when he was looking for a new coach.

Rafael Nadal losing Wimbeldon http://youtu.be/4JwT5I2yt5A and then winning the next year.

These three books are entertaining to read and arm coaches with a delightful amount of anecdotes that can be used when rowers come to their weekly realization that the sport they chose is one of the toughest known to man :-).

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

The weather is the primary reason I moved to SoCal.

In January of 1995, Joerg Weitnauer, owner of WM rowing boats, advised me to move and train in Newport Beach. 16 years later I am still here.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

A tip from personal experience about getting back your fitness and hurting yourself...

I am 39.  I am the proud father of four kids and life goes at one hundred miles per second.  There is little time for personal fitness, partly because my kids are not quite of age yet where I can share the same exercise type and duration that I would need to maintain an acceptable fitness level and body weight.  I am not the type of person who easily chooses to spend time alone to exercise.  I enjoy sharing such quality time with my family and very quickly adjust such time to what works best for the group and this ranges from walking, playground, some tennis. When the kids are in the backyard playing I grab the kettlebell and go at it and this is why I am writing this blog entry, how to overdo it :-)

One attribute I don't lack is personal motivation to exercise.  When time is of essence and I feel horribly guilty for not having done any cardio exercise, I have made a couple painful mistakes by choosing shorter and harder workouts.  From rowing I have a strong back with solid lats which make horizontal kettlebell rows no problem and I don't feel winded quickly when I attack them.  So what do I have to worry about...  my elbows, it must be the lack of use but did I mess them up by pulling back the 60 pound bell like a mad former Olympian.  Now I am seeking some sort of muscle cream to help whatever I messed up.  My lesson learned from this pain, and I hope I won't forget it ever in my lifetime, is that any type of physical exercise that you start up doing after a longer break needs to be brought back to life slowly.  The little joints and muscles will give you major flak if you don't.

So why don't I row more consistently... good point, it is because our house is too small to handle a permanent spot for the rower, and there are other logistical issues that are inexcusable reasons for not putting in the miles.  Writing this makes me wonder about my ability to self-inflict "AHA" moments.  I NEED TO ROW MORE.  Rowing is gentle on the joints, I yell it at the top of my lungs on rooftops all the time.  Rowing gives you range of motion without being hard on your joints.  Rowing allows your entire body to find a rhythm that is dictated by your breathing pattern (and not the other way around!)  Stay low with your stroke rate and increase the resistance by raising the drag factor on the concept2 rower, or add more water to your waterrower.  One of the "special" ways to increase drag on the C2 is dangerous when you have little kids: removing the silver mesh.  You will find double the drag :-) however you will also hear TRIPLE the noise!

Ok now for the business part of it all.   I have a workout library that is available online at www.row2go.com.  You can access over 70 workouts and use my instruction and rowing rhythm to get a great row out of your machine.  In case you are a possessed on the water rower or a psychotic 2K chaser on the Concept2 machine you will enjoy www.xenorowingcoach.com.  In case you want direct downloads have a look at www.facebook.com/row2go :-)
That is it for now!!!


Xeno Muller

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.